Arthur Ewart

Arthur Wartensleben Ewart was the second son of General Sir John Ewart and Frances née Stone. He was born on 23 December 1862 in Sandgate, Kent.^[1] His elder brother followed his father into the British Army, becoming Lieutenant-General Sir Spencer Ewart.

Ewart joined the Royal Navy on 15 January 1875, initially as a naval cadet, becoming a midshipman on 22 March 1877.^[1][2] He was promoted to sub-lieutenant on 23 December 1881, studying at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.^[3][1][4] On 1 April 1883 he was appointed to serve on the training brig HMS Seaflower.^[4] He was advanced to lieutenant on 23 June, serving as a gunnery officer in the training ship HMS Excellent where he won the Goodenough Medal for the best performance in the gunnery course.^[1][5] Ewart was assigned to the troopship HMS Euphrates based at Portsmouth on 4 July the same year, but returned to Excellent on 30 September 1884.^[6][7] On 8 June 1886 he was appointed a gunnery staff officer in the training ships HMS Foudroyant and HMS Perseus.^[8]

Ewart's tenure at the training establishment was brief, joining the battleship HMS Colossus as gunnery officer on 6 December the same year.^[9] He then became the gunnery officer of the cruiser HMS Severn on 19 February 1889, serving on the China Station.^[10] Ewart returned to Excellent on 16 February 1892 as a senior staff officer there.^[11] Promoted to commander on 31 December 1895, he joined the cruiser HMS Grafton on 20 April the following year, serving on the China Station.^[1][12] Ewart subsequently joined the Naval Intelligence Department on 27 September 1899.^[1][13]

Ewart was appointed as the British naval attaché in Berlin on 6 October 1900. Described in reports as "very zealous and keen", he was the first person to hold the post, the Royal Navy having received permission to create it in July.^[14][15] While the reason for Ewart's selection is not recorded, he had German connections through his great-grandfather Joseph Ewart, a diplomat in Germany, who had married a daughter of the Graf von Wartensleben. For this he was looked upon favourably by Wilhelm II, who described him as "partially German".^[16] He was also a competent speaker of the German language.^[17] Ewart arrived in Berlin in November, tasked with assisting in the gathering of military intelligence.^[18]

Ewart was promoted to captain on 30 June 1901.^[1] In April 1902 he argued that the Imperial German Navy was being developed to match and defeat the Royal Navy, a point that had previously been disregarded by the Ambassador to Germany, Sir Frank Lascelles.^[19] On 12 June 1903 he wrote the first recorded attaché report on submarines, describing Germany's launch of Forelle.^[20] Four days later he provided a report summarising the superiority of German torpedo boats over British ones, but this was disregarded by naval authorities.^[21] Ewart was subsequently replaced by Captain Reginald Allenby who arrived in August.^[17][20][22]

Ewart was moved to serve as the naval attaché at Copenhagen, where on 10 December he was created a Knight Commander, 2nd Class, of the Order of the Dannebrog.^[23] During his service he also received the French Legion of Honour and Spanish Cross of Naval Merit.^[24] He returned to regular naval duties in the following year, being appointed to command the cruiser HMS Doris on 10 June 1904, serving in the Channel Fleet.^[25] Doris was moved to join the Atlantic Fleet in 1905.^[26] In late 1906 Ewart and Doris assisted in the recovery of the main battery guns from the wrecked battleship HMS Montagu off Lundy Island.^[27] He was transferred to command the battleship HMS Duncan on 4 December, initially with the Channel Fleet and then again in the Atlantic.^[28] Duncan was one of several ships in July 1908 that travelled to Canada to participate in the Quebec Tercentenary celebrations.^[29] Ewart was then given command of the battleship HMS Ramillies on 2 February 1909. Part of the Home Fleet and based at Devonport, Ewart simultaneously commanded the Special Service Division of the fleet.^[30]

Ewart was promoted to rear-admiral on 15 March 1911,^[31] and placed on the list of retired officers on 15 May because of ill-health.^[32][33] He continued to be promoted, becoming a vice-admiral on 10 June 1916, and an admiral on 17 January 1919.^[34] Ewart died at Dumfries.^[33]

Ewart married Violet Louisa Haworth-Booth at the registry office in Beverley, Yorkshire, on 22 September 1903.^[1] She outlived him.^[33]